More than a decade after she stormed the charts, Eve is returning to hip-hop from acting. The 34-year-old rapper, who has starred in films including Whip It and xXx, has announced her first album since 2002, Lip Lock.
"Lip Lock is the album I've always wanted to make and it represents me coming back into the game," Eve told Rap-Up. The rapper has reeled in a slate of top-tier collaborators, including Snoop Lion, Pusha T and Swizz Beatz, for the album, which will be released on her own label.
Back in October, Eve released the first sample of her new sound – a song called She Bad Bad. The drilling, chant-filled single was produced by Jukebox, best known for Willow's Whip My Hair. "Musically my ear has grown," she told Time in July. "I [want] to really take what people loved of me and fell in love with in the beginning, with the Ruff Ryders and all of them, and combine it with where I am now."
Eve first emerged in the late 90s, appearing alongside DMX and the Lox as the Ruff Ryders' "first lady". While Lip Lock is only her fourth album, she has sold almost 10m records in the 14 years since her debut, making her one of the most successful female rappers of all time. Three of Eve's singles have reached the UK top 10, and she also appeared on hits such as Gwen Stefani's Rich Girl and Amerie's One Thing.
On Wednesday, Eve released a new She Bad Bad remix, featuring Pusha T and Juicy J. The rest of the album will follow on 14 May.
